Page 4 - Building a people-centered digital future for cities and communities

Foreword

Increasingly, digital transformation is becoming a focus of

strategic thinking and planning for governments, cities and
industries. It is about putting the emphasis on how digital services
and applications will change and “transform” inhabitants’
experiences and the way they live, work and play in cities, and
how this will lead to improvements in quality of life and wellbeing,
and lead to the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG). Smart cities and communities rely on
digital technologies and information and communication
technologies (ICTs) to offer innovative and integrated services and
solutions to their residents. Digital transformation is, therefore, the
way forward to meet global goals and targets, and to create the
cities and communities of tomorrow.

This brochure shares insights into how ITU standardization work
and supporting collaboration initiatives are enabling shared
progress towards digital transformation, especially in the context
of cities.

ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and
communication technology (ICT). Within the ITU ecosystem, Seizo Onoe
policymakers, urban planners, industry, academia and civil society
are working together to develop ITU standards capable of helping Director
cities to innovate efficiently and at scale. These standards support
the development of master plans for the transition to smart ITU Telecommunication
sustainable cities, for promoting interoperability among city Standardization Bureau
systems, for enhancing efficient data processing and
management, and much more.

ITU founded the United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC), a
global initiative supported by 19 United Nations partners with the
aim of achieving SDG11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and
sustainable.

Given the advances in technologies in the digital age, successful
digital transformation will demand that technological evolution
follows a course aligned with universal human values. ITU
provides a neutral platform upon which to build this collaboration
and accelerate progress towards the SDGs. We welcome you to
join our work to create a more sustainable and resilient future for
all.

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